such as I hope never to see again, laid us, first on our beam
ends, and then drove us at a fearful rate directly towards the
coast.

"We drove this way for an hour or more, unable to do a thing to
help ourselves, and then she struck on Hatteras sands. Her masts
went as she struck, and as they fell a huge sea, rushing over the
poor craft, swept overboard the captain and two men. It was some
time before we knew they were gone, for we could see nothing nor
hear anything but the howl of the tempest.

"At last we got rid of the floating wreck of spars by clearing the
tangled rigging with our knives, and, thus relieved, the schooner
was driven a good bit farther over the sands. Finally she struck
solid, and began to break up. One of her boats was stove and
worthless, and in trying to clear away the other, a metallic life-
boat, another man was swept overboard and lost.

"The mate and two of the crew besides myself finally got away from
the wreck in this boat, and were driven in to the beach, on which
we were at last flung more dead than alive.

"The next morning we made our way to the light-house, where we
were kindly cared for, but where our Christmas dinner was a pretty
sad affair.

"The captain's body was washed up on the beach, and a week from
that day we took it and the news of his death together to his wife
in New York.